Article writing is perhaps the most used source of traffic generation for web sites. It has always been said that on the internet,“content is king”. The main ingredient of content is the written word. While video and audio displays have come into vogue lately, the written word still dominates.
You should approach article writing with the same carefulness as designing a sales page.After all a properly written article will serve several purposes aside from just providing a means to expose your web URL to the masses.
Your articles can establish your credibility as an expert in your chosen field.
Your articles can portray your integrity as someone trustworthy to do business with.
Your articles will- over time- demonstrate that you are in the business for the long term.
There are certain things you should do before writing your article:
First of course you must choose your topic. Your topic can be about your chosen niche in general,or it can be about any single part or micro part of your niche. Your topic doesn’t even have to be about your niche if there is something else that you feel passionate about or have some knowledge about. Just remember, that your article should be informative.
After you have picked your topic, do some research on it. Go to Google, Yahoo, and other search engines and, using keywords that reflect your topic, gather as much information as possible. As you find bits and pieces of information, use your own words to jot them into a spreadsheet. Don’t worry about the order of things initially. Include the keywords you used for your research because you’ll want to include them in your article to make it search engine friendly.
Now make an outline for your article The following is the outline I follow:
Headline
A good headline is generally no longer than ten words and uses
decisive action oriented words that act as a hook, pulling the reader
in. The headline sets the theme of the article and reflects the tone
of what’s to follow.
The Lead
This is the opening paragraph. While the headline is designed to grab the reader,, the lead, has to pull the reader into the article and inspire him to continue reading further. Most people skim and do no read every word. The opening paragraph has perhaps more importance than any other part of the article. It may be the only part that gets read entirely.
As a result ,the lead also has to provide enough information to outline the story that follows, and provide the basic substance of the article, while leaving the reader wanting to know more.
The Body
The body of the article is the main portion. It is here that you convey the most important fact or facts. It is here that you provide the “meat” of the information and answer the readers questions. This is where you work in the material that you gathered with your
research. You can begin with the important points and then support each point by facts in following paragraphs, or start with the most important point followed by its supporting facts in the first paragraph, and then do the same with subsequent points supported by their
facts in each following paragraph..
The Conclusion
The best kind of article is circular, meaning that the conclusion returns the reader to the points you made in the opening sentence. Revisit your lead paragraph and structure your conclusion to reiterate the feelings you provoked with the lead paragraph. Here is where your article pays off for you, because here you can offer your reader more by visiting your website. If you’ve done a good job of providing the reader with valuable and useful information, he or she will have developed an appetite for more of the same.
Here are a few more tips:
Most article agencies prefer articles that are between 500 and 800 words in length. Most will accept articles with a minimum of 250 words.
Set your sentence length to 60-65 wordsper line.
Don’t be afraid to tell some of your trade secrets! If you give more information, your credibility and reputation as an authority will beincreased.
Give resource information to your readers.Tell them where to find information.
Be sure to include your researched keywords into your article being often enough to get search engine attention, but not so often to disrupt the article flow.
Filed under: internet marketing
